Hi everyone,
I've been reading up on installing an android tablet and using it as a car dash and thought I'd post something of my own.

I recently brought a Galaxy Tab and am looking at installing it in my VT Commodore,
currently its just got the stock double din stereo in it,

There seems to be a few different ways to go about it so I pulled the stereo out today and had a look around.

The tablet fits perfectly in the double din space and doesn't slide to the back because of the brackets inside the hole. The only problem is there isn't enough room to connect the charger or aux output. I was thinking of using A2DP for music but I'm not to sure about the quality it will provide, which leads me to my next problem,

I still want to have a cd/radio unit somewhere, if possible maybe in the glove box or passenger console. The boots always an option but I'd prefer something thats easier to access while driving.

My other option would be to install a single din cd unit and mount the tablet using the spare din slot above. Using a bracket or playing around with the samsung galaxy car mount so the tab is sitting in front of the cd unit. (There isn't enough space to place it above due to the AC controls.)

I read today about a tablet install using a dvd drive but this won't work in my case as when the tablets in landscape the chargers on the right and headphones on the left. Is it worth cutting holes in the interior to connect these up?

Ive included some pictures of the empty din slot, the tablet just sitting in the slot and a photo showing how it won't sit when the chargers connected.

Any help or guidance would be very much appreciated :)
Cheers!

08-26-2011, 11:55 AM

turbocad6

if I'm not mistaken I believe you can get audio through the main plug with the right cable assy, can keep everything as just one plug connection. check out XDA-developers or similar about this...

Looks like it will do the job nicely. Now to think about the cd player....

08-27-2011, 12:48 PM

zr2ee

i mounted my dell streak 7 with a dedicated alpine head unit directly behind it, but the center console or glove box are good idea's too, dedicated bluetooth audio sounds pretty good actually, honestly i can't really tell a difference with mine however i like the idea of having a dedicated line because bluetooth doesn't always sync when you want too which can get annoying.

i'm also using a media dock so i can just drop my tablet in and i have audio/hdmi/usb and dc charging all off one dock connector. with your setup it wouldn't be hard to trim a spot for the dock connector and it doesn't seem like it would be very noticable...if you ever decide to get rid of it just replace the trim or fill it with a plug or fiberglass.

08-29-2011, 01:40 AM

badmonkey23

If I went with a Galaxy Tab, I was going to slot a hole in the trim on the right for the connector and mount the connector on a hinge. That way while the Tab is plugged in it can swing forward to remove easily. Then you just put some kind of latch or magnet on the left so you can lock the Tab in position.
I think it would be worth having the power connector installed, that way it charges while you're driving, and you can set it up to automatically turn on when the car starts up. It does so much for ease of use and presentation.

I've seen some installs where there is a single-din stereo mounted below where you're putting the Tab ie. pull out that storage compartment and mount the stereo there. (Sorry, can't find the photo I'm thinking of)

08-29-2011, 06:05 AM

theBlueLight

Alex have you had a look through turbocad6's how to make a factory bezel thread? If you grabbed another dash assembly from a wrecker you could probably have a whole heap of fun fabricating a mount that incorporated that main plug and maybe even design it so you can make the tablet removable and lose the storage tray beneath for a single unit cd/radio. Maybe something worth thinking about.

08-29-2011, 10:23 PM

alexb2710

Thanks for your suggestions guys,
I think I will go with installing the cd player in the storage tray below the din slots.
Turbocad6's factory bezel guide is very informative but I don't think I have enough experience to buy a replacement
dash and start mucking around by myself. :)

For a temporary solution for holding the tablet in place I have brought a thick hard case which will firmly hold everything in.
Of course its not the safest/thief proof option but I'll work on a more permanent fitting when everything else is up and running.

To fit the dock cable I think I will cut a small hole from the side of the din slot which wont be visible when the Tab is fitted.

I've had a look at a few single din head units, could anyone recommend anything decent prepherably around $300 or below in Australia with a rear aux/rca input?
Bluetooth for phone calls would be good but I'm not overly worried about it.

As for connecting the tablet up, I found a tv out cable for the Galaxy Tab which uses only the dock connector, It has the red white rca leads as well as usb for charging for about $10. I will power it through the cig. lighter for now. Does anybody know if that will cause a 'hum' through the speakers?
Thanks

08-29-2011, 10:39 PM

alexb2710

Also I was interested in how difficult it would be to securely mount the cd player in the glove box.
I'm sure there would be guides on here somewhere but I can't find anything using search.
I found a random guide using google but it wouldn't hurt to read up on a couple more.
Cheers

09-01-2011, 04:08 AM

theBlueLight

Quote:

Originally Posted by alexb2710

Of course its not the safest/thief proof option but I'll work on a more permanent fitting when everything else is up and running.

Definately the best way to go. That way you get to iron out all the creases first and figure out the best ways to make your setup do what you want it to before you go cutting stuff up and ripping out dashes etc...

09-01-2011, 04:21 AM

theBlueLight

Quote:

Originally Posted by alexb2710

As for connecting the tablet up, I found a tv out cable for the Galaxy Tab which uses only the dock connector, It has the red white rca leads as well as usb for charging for about $10. I will power it through the cig. lighter for now. Does anybody know if that will cause a 'hum' through the speakers?
Thanks

Depends on the charging adaptor I suppose. The "ground" on the tablet side could be jumping all over the place with respect to the 12V ground of the car which can induce some fairly horrible switch-mode power supply noise when you hook the tablet up to the amp. In my experience (which is not that great) it is a bit of a lottery whether or not this will happen as it depends on the design of the charger. If it does happen probably the easiest way to get rid of it is to buy an audio isolation transformer from Jaycar for $26 and put that in between the tablet and the amp. If you have other things hooked up to the tablet that are also connected to the car ground, then you can run into trouble as some of these chargers don't like having the input (12V) ground and the output (tablet ground) connected. They start squealing and doing all sorts of strange things.